How to Save Your Own Yellow Squash Seeds

Besides squash fruits, the blossoms are edible as well.

Saving the seeds from the fruits of your yellow summer squash (Cucurbita pepo) enables you to plant them and enjoy the taste of the fruits year after year. It also removes one excuse to spend money at a garden supply store. Not every vegetable lends itself to simple seed-saving, but saving squash seeds doesn't take much effort. You might be surprised occasionally, however, because squash can cross-pollinate with its closely related plants and create seeds for plants you didn't expect.

Planting Location

Plan ahead by planting your yellow squash far from all other members of the Cucurbita pepo species, including zucchini and certain pumpkins. Doing so will prevent your yellow squashes from cross-pollinating with non-yellow squashes and producing seeds that result in plants that have fruits exhibiting traits of both parent plants' fruits. In open areas, Cucurbita pepo species' plants pollinate other such plants up to 1/2 mile away. Trees, fences and buildings reduce the problem. So plant your yellow squash in a protected location separate from similar vegetables. Also, plant only one non-hybrid variety; varieties don't always cross-pollinate well, and seeds from hybrids don't produce plants true to the parent plants.

Harvest Time

Saving seeds from yellow squash fruits requires letting a few of the fruits ripen and remain on the plants. They should stay on the plants until their outer skins, or rinds, become so hard that you can't make a dent in it with a fingernail. The fruits won't be edible anymore. They are only good for seed harvesting when their rinds become that hard.

Collection and Preparation

Slicing open the hardened fruits reveals the seeds inside. Scoop out the seeds with as little of the fruits' flesh as possible. Wash the seeds thoroughly with clean water, separating them from all attached flesh. Laying them in a single layer on paper towels or newspaper helps them dry, although drying completely may take a few days. When you squeeze a dry seed, it should feel hard and brittle. If it feels slightly spongy, it needs to dry a bit longer.

Lifespan and Storage

Squash seeds remain viable for up to six years when stored properly. They need a cool, dry storage place. Pour the seeds into airtight containers, such as jars to which you then secure their lids, and place the containers in a refrigerator or basement storage room. Using small containers is best; when you open a container of seeds, plant all the seeds that year because they might not remain viable until the following year.